Automatic player-piano.



P. J. MEAHL.

AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED Dec. 1. 1911.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

4 SHEE1S-SHEET 1;

11 van tor:

P. J. MEAHL.

AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FI LED DEC. 1. 191:

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

. w 4 5 .M l s "RWEWL e, 4 A 4- O 401 m M J 4 SHEUSSHEET 2- Inventor:

fiAtty P.L MEAHL AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I, Ian.

1 204,679. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

4 SHEHSSHEET 3- IIIIIIIIIII m: owns PETERS co.. Pnomuma. wasnINcmN, n.r;

P. J. MEAHL. AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED 020.1.1911. 1,204,679. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

' W 6% AtifyJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP JACOB MEAHL, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY.

' AUTOMATIC PLAYER-PIANO.

Application filed December 1, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PHILIP J. MEAHL, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Bayonne, in the countyof Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Player-Pianos, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in automaticplayer pianos, and the object of my invention is to provide a new andimproved accenting device for player pianos whereby at the will of theoperator certain notes may be struck with greater force than normal orwith less force than normal in various gradations.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedmechanism of this kind which is simple, strong, durable and reliable andeffective in action.

In the accompanying drawings in which like letters of reference indicatelike parts in all the figures: Figure 1 is an elevation of part of myimproved accenting mechanism, parts being broken away and others shownin section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical detail cross sectional viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the valve box at the endsof the keyboard partly shown in vertical section. Fig. l is aperspective view of part of the key-slip in front of the keys andcontaining the controlling buttons and levers. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of another part of the keyslip and push buttons and levers therein.Fig. 6 is a vertical elevation of one of the valve controlling boxes atthe end of the keyboard, the front of this box being removed. Fig. 7 isa plan view of the keyboard and my attachment, and other parts of thepiano and casing also shown in plan view. Fig. 8 is a detail viewshowing the movable board in an intermediate position.

The playing mechanism is contained in a box or compartment 1 in whichthe striker pneumatics 2 are arranged in two horizontal tiers, eachstriker pneumatic being provided at its rear end on its movable boardwith a toe or projection 3 which can act upon and raise an actionabstract 4, which can also be actuated in the Well known manner by meansof a key 5. As the two hori- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

Serial No. 663,234.

zontal tiers of the action are alike it will only be necessary todescribe one.

The fixed board 6 of a striker pneumatic is preferably arrangedhorizontally and while one half of this board forms the fixed board ofthe main striker pneumatic 2 the remaining or front half of the boardforms the fixed board of a pneumatic 7 which is shown collapsed in theupper part of Fig. 2, and expanded in the lower part of Fig. 2. Themovable boards 8 and 9 of these two pneumatics 2 and 7 are made integraland as shown are at an obtuse angle to each other, so that when thepneumatic 2 is expanded the pneumatic 7 is collapsed and vice versa andwhen the pneumatic 7 is expanded the pneumatic 2 is collapsed. Themovable board is thus angular, that is to say, its parts are in twoplanes at an angle to each other and hereinafter when I use the wordangular in relation to the movable board of the bellows, I do not meanto define the outline such as quadrilateral, which is also angular, butintend to define the shape of the board as being one in which two of itsplanes are at an angle to each other. The movable board 9 of thepneumatic 7 also constitutes the movable board of a pneumatic 10, thefixed board 11 of which is beneath this pneumatic and it therefore willbe seen that when the pneumatic 2 is expanded the pneumatic 10 is alsoexpanded and when the pneumatic 2 is collapsed the pneumatic 10 is alsocollapsed and the pneumatic 7 is expanded. I thus have one fixed boardand two united movable boards for the three pneumatics, but theattachmentfor operating the abstract or other part of the mechanism isconnected with the movable board of the pneumatics 2 only. For eachthree pneumatics, such as above described, a flexible tube 12 leads fromthe tracker 112 of conventional construction and this tube 12 isconnected with a vertical duct 13 leading to a double bellows 14 havingthe two movable boards 15 and 16 respectively, the movable board 16being of such length as to extend under the stem 17 of a double valve1819 and the shorter and upper movable board 15 being beneath the stem20 of a valve 21 which controls a duct 22 leading from the atmosphere orfrom the suction chamber 23 to the bellows 2. 116 represents a bleedhole which when the double bellows 1a is collapsed is closed by a valve117 on the extended forward end of the movable board 16 of the doublebellows 1 1. r

A passage 21- is connected either with the suction chamber 23 or withthe atmospheric air accordingly as the valve stem 17 is lowerect orraised and this passage 2a: is connected by a tube 25 with an L-shapedduct 26 leading to the pneumatic 7. The lower part of the duct 13 isconnected by a tube 27 with a recess beneath a pouch 29 in a chamber 30and this pouch can lift the stem 31 of a valve 32 which controls theconnection between the suction chamber 30 and a passage 33 leading tothe pneumatic 10.

The neck 34: projecting froni'the front of the casing 1 is connected bya transverse duct 35 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and located in thefront wall of the box or chamher 1 with a series'of passages 36 in thefront wall of the casing, which passages are substantially vertical andhave their lower ends connected with'the chambers 30 of the lower seriesand their upper ends connected with the chambers 30 of the upper seriesof valve mechanisms, so that the air in the several chambers 30connected with said neck may be exhausted or rarefied. The passages 36are preferably divided into groups 1 of twelve corresponding to oneoctave. Of course they may be divided into groups of greater or lesspassages 36, but I prefer octaves'so that one neck is always providedfor an octave or group and when such neck is connected by mechanisms tobe described later on with the air exhausting means the air is exhaustedfrom the chambers 30 of the valve mechanisms pertaining to one octave.

Each neck 3% is connected by a suitable tube or duct 134 with a neck 37Fig. 3, projecting from a box orchamber 38 which is divided bypartitions 39 into a number of compartments, namely one for each neck37. As shown in Fig. 7 there are four such tubes 134 at each side of thetracker and therefore each box or chamber 38 lo- I cated at the endwalls of the piano is divided into four compartments each. 7

Each neck 37 leads to a chamber i0, which is normally closed by a valve11, the stem of which rests on a pouch 42, over a recess 43,

connected by a passage H with a primary valve mechanism to ofconventional construction. Through ports 46 air is admitted intocompartments 17.

keys. Each chamber is closed at the top by a spring-seated valve 59, thestem of which terminates in a button projecting from for the four lo'weroctaves, and the buttons 5, 6, T, 8 for the four upper octaves, and inthis key-slip 58 a lever 161 is pivoted which may be used forcontrolling the expression device 'or for other purposes.

A horizontal sliding port rail 63, Figs. 1 and is provided with a seriesof ports 6a which can register with the duct 26, there being one suchrail for each horizontal row of ducts 26. Each rail is connected at oneend by a bar with a cross piece 66 in a box 67 and from said cross piece'66 a connecting rod 68 extends to and is attached to the movable board69 of a bellows 70, which movable board is connected by a rod 71 withavertical rock shaft 72, from an arm of which a connecting rod 73extends to the handle lever 62. Branch pipes 74 of the tubes may lead toa corresponding number of holes in the tracker 112, which may registerwith the corresponding slots in the music sheet in the well knownmanner, for automatical control of the divisions.

The'operation is as follows: Normally the valves 59 and a1 are seated,Fig. 3, and the necks 37are cut off from the air exhausting means. Bymeans of the openings, Fig. 2 and ducts 33, the pneumatics 1O are'incommunication with atmospheric air and can readily be collapsed when thecorresponding bellows 2 are collapsed by exhausting the air from thelatter. This condition prevails during normal playing. If now a musicslot in the music sheet registers with a ductin the tracker, air passesthrough the duct in the tracker, through the corresponding tube 12 andduct 13, and expands thedouble bellows 11 whereby the two movable boards15 and 16 are raised. The corresponding valve '21 is raised and therebythe communication between the atmosphere and the striker pneumatic 2',through the channel 22 is interrupted and at thesame time communicationbetween the striker penuniatic 2 and the suction chamber 23through thechannel 22 is established, whereby the striker pneumatic 2 is instantlycollapsed and the piano hammer operated in the well known manner. At thesame time the movable board 16 of the double bellows 1% raises the stem17 and thereby seats the valve 19and 'unseats the valve 18 permittingatmospheric airto pass throughthe tube 25 and duct 26, to the bellows 7which is thereby expanded at the same time that the bellows 2 iscollapsed and without offering any resistance to suchcolc'il lapsing. Assoon as the corresponding duct the movable boards 15 and 16 of thebellows 1 1 drop, the valve 18 is seated, the valve 19 is unseated and bmeans of the duct 26., tube 25, the bellows '7 is connected with thesuction chamber 23, and at the same time the valve 21 is seated and thebellows 2 is connected with the atmosphere. Thereby the bellows 7 iscollapsed and the bellows 2 expanded and the parts brought to theiroriginal positions and no spring is required to expand the bellows 2.The action of the bellows is'extremely rapid and there is practically noresistance offered. This permits of extremely rapid repetition.

hen the blow to be delivered is to be softer than normal, the port rails63 are so shifted as to partly close the ducts 26, that is to say, theports 6 1 in said rails are brought partly out of register with theducts 26, the

reduced passes thus formed offering resistance to the entrance ofatmospheric air into the bellows 7 and thus weaken the power of thecollapsing bellows 2. By means of the handle lever 62 the operator canat any time shift the port rails 63 more or less, thereby reducing thevelocity of the throw, and thus the power effect of the collapsingbellows 2, more or less.

When it is desired to play fortissimo in any one octave or section thecorresponding button is depressed or air is admitted autom atieally fromthe note sheet through the branch tube 7% whereby the correspondingvalves 59 and 41 are raised and t ie air is exhausted from thecorresponding chambers 30, and the corresponding valves 82 are raised bythe atmospheric airpassing through the tubes 12, the ducts 1 3, andtubes 27, so that now air is also exhausted from the bellows 10 at thesame time that it is exhausted from the corresponding bellows 2, andthus the force of the blow is increased or substantially doubled.

Having described my invention what i.

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a pneumaticpiano player, the combination of two fixed boards and a movable boardbetween the two fixed boards and three sets of flexible folding wallsuniting the movable board to the two fixed boards to constitute threebellows, substant'ally as set forth.

2. In a pneumatic piano player, the combination of a fixed board and amovable board which has an angle between two edges and three sets offlexible folding walls connecting the angular movable board with thefixed board to constitute three bellows, sul stantially as set forth.

3. In a pneumatic piano player, the combination with two fixed boardsand a movable board between the fixed boards and three sets of flexiblefolding walls uniting the movable board with the two fixed boards,

thus forming three bellows, of means for ex hausting the air from two ofthe three bellows and at the same time admitting air into the thirdbellows, substantially as set forth.

at. In a pneumatic player piano, the combination with two fixed boardsand a movable board between the two fixed boards and three sets offlexible folding walls uniting the movable board with the two fixedboards, thus forming three bellows, of means for exhausting air from thetwo bellows on opposite faces of the said movable board and at the sametime admitting air into the third bellows, substantially as set forth.

5. In a pneumatic player piano, the combination of a fixed board and amovable board hinged to each other, between the ends of said boards, twosets of flexible folding walls uniting the movable and fixed boards atopposite sides of he hinged connection between the boards, means forexhausting ir from one bellows thus formed, and for admitting air intothe other bellows thus formed at the same time, and means for ad justingthe size of the opening for admitting air into one of said bellows ofsaid pair, formed between the fixed and movable boards, independent ofthe other bellows, substantially as set forth.

6. In a pneumatic player piano, the combination of a fixed board and amovable board hinged to each 0th r at a point between the ends of saidboards, two sets of flexible folding walls, uniting the movable andfixed boards at opposite sides of the hinged connection between the twoboards, means for exhausting air from one bellows thus formed and foradmitting air into the other two bellows thus formed at the same time,and means for adjusting the size of the opening for admitting air intothe one of said bellows formed between the fixed and movable boards,independent of the other bellows, and devices for operating the meansfor varying the size of said ducts from the front of the piano player,substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a series of bellows, divided into sets of threecooperating bellows, a tracker having ducts, a connec tion for each setof three bellows with a single tracker duct, valve mechanism controlledfrom the tracker duct for controlling the admission of air into or theexhaustion of air from the said bellows, and means for varying the sizeof the duct leading to one bellows of each set, substantially as setforth.

8. A player piano having a series of striker pneumaties, and bellowscooperating therewith arranged horizontally above and behind the keys,valve mechanism and compartments for the same adjacent to said bellows,the valves of the striker pneumatic being sub-divided into groups, boxeslocated Signed at N eW-York city, in the county at the end of thekeyboard transversely to of New York and State of New York, this saidkeyboard, air exhausting means con- 29th of November, A. D. 1911.

neoted with the said boxes and pneumatic PHILIP JACOB MEAHL. connectionsbetween said boxes and the WVitnesses:

groups of valves for the striker neumatics, OSCAR F. GUNZ,

substantially as set forth. M. E. MONINCH.

Cogiies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington; D. 0.

